Samsung Series 7 - NP700Z5C-S03CA: My Last Hope

Hi all,

First of, thanks a lot (I mean, LOT) to @ Dannemand for his help and all.
I've read all of those threads (rollback, how to unbrick, this one, obvisously) and it gave me hope into resolving the issues a lot (too many ...) of us had. Feels good to be at war with some bros around haha.
Although I did read all the threads, I prefer to ask before doing anything, as my PC's state went from perfect to bricked in 2 days, just because of my attempt to solve a new issue every day.

1) I installed W10 3 days ago, went smoothly, EasySettings could install and I got everything working.

2) I then installed Linux Mint on the second HDD (removed the ODD a year ago) and it also went smoothly. Trying to solve some minor issues in Linux, I broke Linux and it would not boot anymore.
W10 still working perfectly.

3) Trying to instal a fresh version of Linux, I realized I could not boot to the BIOS anymore. F2, F10, not working.

4) This is where I ****ed it all up : I tried to do a Clear Cmos as it seemed to be a last resort solution (now I realize THIS thread IS the last resort haha). When I tried to boot after that, I got in the bootloop some of us experienced.
App and Boot Menu are empty, I can't seem to be able to boot on a USB Drive (Have a W10 ISO) but haven't tried with Rufus and the many different options. Tried obviously to remove all the drives.
However, I put the ODD back in its original place and I was able to boot on the Windows 7 Setup Recovery DVD that was in my laptop's box, provided by Samsung, probably.
I could not do much as the repair options tell me that the installed version don't match the DVD version (W10 vs W7 probably).
I decided to try and install it, as I thought I would be able to do actual things in W7 compared to in front of a black screen, but the partition table of my disk is GPT and W7 won't instal on it. I have to change it to MBR. I tried to format my SSD but didn't do much.

QUESTION IS : What should I do ?
1) Change to MBR (therefore remove everything from the SSD, including recovery, system preserved stuff) and try to instal W7 ?
2) Don't change, try to launch a Windows 10 ISO using all the settings I can in Rufus ? I can't remember i the BIOS was UEFI but I'm 90% sure it is, as I think I remember it was last time I saw it.
3) Try the method explained in this thread and some others, mainly yours, try booting on W8.1 USB key, then WinPE and all, along with the BIOS roll back procedure.

I tried to create a W10 DVD with the iso I did the clean instal with, to no avail. PC did not boot on the DVD. I used a very bad Vista PC to burn the ISO, though, if that changes anything.

Sorry for the long post and the surely dumb questions ... But I feel like, everytime I tried to repair something in my PC for the last 3 days, the only thing I did was making it worse. So now I try to think/ask before acting.

Thanks again to the guys who might help me

Cheers, y'all the best !

 

The W10 ISO DVD will not boot? I do know with a W10 you can create a system restore drive that works for the OS similar to that of the W7 version.

 

Hi, thanks for the reply
What do you mean "with a W10" ? Do you mean I need a working W10 ? Or can I find that on the web somewhere ?
The thing is I formatted the main partition of the SSD, but still have the "sane" partitions used supposedly for recovery and all. I have 4 in total. 2 before and 2 after the main partition, for a total of 900 Mb or so.

What do you suggest ?

Edit : Can't find a recovery ISO or sthg like that. If you are talking about the recovery options that are included, I can't access that because I have a bricked Sammy ...

 

Hi rikspoutnik,

I gather that your model is one that came with Win8.x and hence delivered with UEFI enabled and the original disk partitioned as GPT (with Recovery partitions and all). But it sounds like UEFI somehow got disabled in your BIOS if Win7 won't install on the GPT disk after booting from the DVD. Or maybe the installer is just confused by the newer Win10 code on the EFI partition.

But since you are able to boot that Win7 DVD (the so-called Recovery disc from Samsung) you should definitely utilize that. Many users with these problems cannot boot anything.

Do you have another HDD or SSD (of any size) which you could put in temporarily? That way you could let the Win7 installer convert to MBR without losing the partitions on your main HDD.

Of course the entire purpose here is to allow the Win7 installation to proceed so that you have a Windows (ANY Windows) from which you can run the sflash64 /cvar /patch command mentioned in posts #6 and #7 of this thread (or WinFlash if your BIOS updates don't have sflash32/64). So far that is the best known way to clear UEFI related problems.

Edit: Following the line of thought that your UEFI setting might have been disabled in BIOS, any WinPE USB stick formatted the good old way (MBR/NTFS or MBR/FAT32) should be bootable. You probably need to disconnect the HDD first since your F-keys are broken so you can't choose a boot device with F9. I know you tried that already, but if the USB stick you tried was formatted for UEFI (GPT/FAT32) it wouldn't boot with UEFI disabled.

 

Hi Dannemand and thanks for your answer as well.

My laptop came with W7 installed, I upgraded to W8 few months after buying it, with the 15$ offer.
That's why I have a W7 DVD from Samsung.

Yeah I have two other HDDs, the one that replaced the ODD (let's name it HDD1) and the original one which has been used as an external HDD (HDD2) since I replaced it for an SSD.
Which one do you recommend ?

HDD1 which is formatted but I don't know if it's MBR or GPT ... ?
Or HDD2 which had W8 installed on it before I changed it to the SSD ?
I'd rather use HDD1 as it is already formatted and the HDD2 is full of files but if you tell me to use HDD2 then I will transfer all the data (that will take a day x) ).

Do you think I should try first to change the disk I'll use to MBR or just put it in the laptop and see ?

Thanks again for your attention.

Edit : I have DVD+RW that I can use so, do you think it's a better bet for the WinPE ?
Edit 2 : Currently installing (hopefully will proceed to the end) W7 on the HDD1 (a Toshiba HGST). I realized I just had to delete the partition in order to proceed to the instal. That way W7 installer isn't bothered by GPT or MBR disks ... Noob stuff sorry

 

Had to write a new post cause too many updates on the situation. You will guess the results from this first sentence : THANK YOU SO MUCH. I mean, I don't know where I would be without this thread, probably laying in foetal position in my bed, mourning my dear dead laptop haha. I love you guys !!

I still have some questions though, after I briefly explain my case :
1) I successfully installed W7 using the exact same trick as Dave-D explained in page 10 of this thread. Had to play a bit with the F3 key while Windows was restarting but finally got it to install.

2) I was able to downgrade/re-upgrade the BIOS as explained in the gorgeous Rollback thread.

Though, some things still seem strange and I don't want to do anything stupid before having your thoughts/advice on it :

1) I could not get the P00AAG and P01AAG BIOS downgrades to work, the ITEM(...).exe would just not launch, saying an error occurred and telling me to go look at the log file. Why is that ?
I downgraded to P03AAG instead and upgraded to P04AAG. The latest version is P05AAG (the one I had before it bricked), should I upgrade ?

2) In your guide at the beginning of this thread, you're talking about some BIOS options that don't seem to appear in mine. Especially the OS Mode Selection and the Secure Boot. I can't find those in my BIOS. I'm linking some photos I took if you wanna take a look but I checked very carefully.
https://onedrive.live.com/redirresid=E6DE05DCD1576EBC!63662&authkey=!AMO7E6ZgKvfIwDY&ithint=folder%2c

Now that I have a working computer again, do you think it's wise to re-instal W10 on the SSD and Linux on the HDD ? Or the BIOS will just do the same ?

Again, thank you everyone, would not have made it without the help of the fantastic moderators and contributors of this forum :')

 

Of course, duh. I need to switch on my brain before answering

This actually makes more sense: Your laptop was delivered with Win7, meaning with UEFI disabled by default in BIOS and running from an MBR disk. At some point UEFI was enabled, and Win10 was installed in UEFI mode, partitioning the SSD as GPT. That UEFI installation probably caused the NVRAM corruption (as has been known to happen on these Sammies). When you did the CMOS reset, UEFI got disabled in BIOS are you are now unable to boot anything UEFI (GPT) or enter BIOS with F2.

Installing Win7 from that DVD should allow you to reset the NVRAM (sflash64 /cvar /patch) so you can get back into BIOS with F2. It really doesn't matter which HDD you use for this as it is only a temporary installation. My concern was merely to avoid losing what is on the disk.

Once you (hopefully) get there, I recommend avoiding UEFI on this model. I haven't tried that with Win10 myself yet and see conflicting reports about it.

 

I agree that it's best to avoid UEFI on those Samsung notebooks that shipped with Windows 7. The implementation in the BIOS is too fragile and Samsung provided a different BIOS with the Windows 8 versions of these notebooks (which still contained a few UEFI-related bugs).

Windows 10 doesn't need UEFI and if you upgrade from to 7 (running with an MBR disk and without UEFI) then the Windows 10 installer will respect what exists - at least that is what happened on my NP900X4C.

John

 

Thanks for the replies, these were the only reason I didn't loose hope when the problem occurred.

John, I will do what you say, unable uefi while installing windows 10 but can I still do a clean install and make windows instal in MBR/non UEFI or do I just have to stick with the normal upgrade from 7 to 10 ?

 

I see now that you made another post about your successful Win7 installation and BIOS downgrade/re-upgrade, just as I was writing my last post. I didn't notice that before clicking Send and rushing out the door.

Good, well done! Are you able to get into BIOS now with F2?

As you found, your model is from before the days of SecureBoot and OS Mode Selection. All you have in that department is the simple UEFI Boot option -- which you want to keep disabled, as also pointed out by John. That should minimize the risk of bricking during OS install.

I would still suggest you update to the latest BIOS before installing Win10 -- but please check the Win10 sticky thread first to validate that, since I am not fully up-to-date on Win10. Also, make sure you follow the safe BIOS update procedure described in John's thread linked below:

Samsung BIOS Update Problems

I have not installed Win10 myself yet, but John's post confirms that you should be able to install Win10 with UEFI disabled. I had read claims elsewhere that it would only install in UEFI mode on machines that have UEFI support -- I am glad to hear that is not the case. If you make sure the disk on which you want to install is MBR beforehand, I would expect you can do a clean install so you don't have to upgrade over Win7. I also understand you need to activate Win10 with an upgrade before making a clean install in order for it to pick up the Product Key. But I assume that happened during your previous Win10 installation. All of this is covered more in the Win10 sticky.

Once again, good job salvaging your Sammy!

 

I made it through the upgrade to W10 now. Yes, I have access to the BIOS by pressing F2 . Never thought I'd be so happy to see a BIOS screen !

I had done a clean install before I bricked my Samsung, but I had problems with the audio part, only my subwoofer was working and not the left and right speakers. Despite downgrading all the drivers I could, re upgrading and all, I could not solve that issue. Now it works in W10. Plus I already had a fresh instal on W7 and I know my disk is MBR. I'll check again if UEFI is disabled.
That's why I don't think I'll be doing a clean install of W10, I'm listening to the good old advice that says : "As long as everything works, don't change anyhing".

Same goes for the BIOS. John, do you really think I have to update my BIOS ? I think I'll keep the version I have now and if a problem occurs, just flash it using the method BIOSUpdate.exe described on John's thread, which I've read. Besides it makes things almost more simple than with the SWUpdate tool.

Now I just have to fix a touchpad problem, which is a hardware issue more than a software one. Seems like my battery is too close to the touchpad, therefore it does not click as it should, sometimes double clicking, and the feeling is just not the same. I might have done that while I was opening and closing the bottom cover, removing HDDs, etc. 10 times a day for the past 3 days... If you remember any thread talking about that, or have an idea of how I could fix it, I'm all ears ! (I searched on google and NBR but nothing came up)

I'll stop spamming this thread about other issues now. I thank you again 1000 times for all the help provided.

Last question, what do you think about installing Linux on the second HDD as I did before the brick ? Dangerous ?

 

Well, I am glad you posted in this thread. It exists specifically for cases like yours where your Samsung laptop got (semi)bricked by UEFI.

And you just added another successful case of unbricking

I would add that usually there is no need to downgrade/re-upgrade the BIOS. Running sflash64 /cvar /patch (as first tested by Fitztorious and reported in post #6) has solved the problem in all cases where users were able to perform it.

As for installing Linux, I don't have firsthand experience with it, but I would think you are safe as long as you keep UEFI disabled. You may still be able to have Linux on a GPT disk, as long as you boot (Grub) from an MBR disk. Whatever distro you chose, make sure it specifically mentions Samsung support. Linux installs were what first made us aware of the UEFI bricking risk, and I believe it was addressed in later updates.

 

Maybe a clean install of Win 10 will automatically wipe the drive and try to follow the UEFI route. However, an upgrade on a non-UEFI installation which leaves open the option of reverting to the previous OS can't trash the existing installation.

I don't think there were substantial changes in the most recent X4C BIOS updates. unfortunately, Samsung never publishes changelogs.

If you keep away from UEFI etc (ie conditions are as per previous) then Linux shouldn't cause any issues. If you are going to try then now is the time to do it while the procedure for recovering from a nasty situation is still fresh in your memory.

John

 

My Samsung NP900X4D did not list any bootable devices in UEFI "Boot Menu" except "Windows Boot Manager":



While my Windows installation was broken, I still had access to Command Prompt in Windows Recovery environment. Thus I was able to reset UEFI variables with Sflash64.exe utility:



Upgrading the BIOS would have helped also. After that I was able to choose a boot device in UEFI "Boot Menu":



All the details are in this thread.

 

Hi forum. I wanted to confirm with you guys if the circled chip is the bios chip? I also need advice on which EPROM programmer I could use to flash the bios onto the chip?

 

Possible, but there's more devices in that form factor and not all are eeproms. Try reading the markings on this chip and google that (+pdf) and you should have the spec. sheet.

However, best would be the schematics (might be difficult to find with Samsungs?). For example, this is my bios:

Spoiler: Clevo W230SS bios - PCT25VF032B eeprom

This is a PCT: PCT25VF032B.

Going to use that information to make it read-only (WP-pin -> low and BPL = 1). That will safeguard it against nefarious agencies (skip to the large font <- effin' bastards) ... heck, this Samsung is bricked for a reason, isn't it? So ... after programming, maybe you'll want to consider write-protecting that thing as well.

 

Unfortunately there are no markings on that chip. The only chip that is marked is network chip which is located underneath the speakers

 

Well, the programmer can id it and by reading the data you can find out if it is, in fact, the bios eeprom. There's a dozen of similar-looking things, though ... and you'd better get an expensive programmer in that case; otherwise chances are the eeprom is not supported.

There's a better option; detach all removable components from the motherboard and make good photos of the front and back. With the complete picture it shouldn't be too hard to nail the most likely candidates.

 

There's a computer shop nearby that may have a good eeprom reader. I'll pay them a visit before I completely strip down the laptop.

 

I've been able to find pictures for the motherboard

 

My money's half on this one ... :

Spoiler: Samsung Series 7 - NP700Z5C, good bios candidate

...and half on your first choice:

1. both are typical form factor for bios eeproms
2. both are very close to the EC (main thing)

SMSC makes EC chips (Embedded Controllers), so no need to be able to read the exact markings. Your original choice is also very close it, except on the reverse side of the board (which is immaterial). Think these two would do, yet any markings on either or, perhaps, the label on the board could make the id final.

 

Thought of something else that might help you locate it; if it'a a 4MB bios then it needs a 4x8 = 32Mbit eeprom. This '32' will be part of the chip's markings. There's also the '24' or '25'; this designates the interface used (I2C or SPI), which makes it a likely eeprom, only not which one (there's several). Also, forget anything without markings or very sparsely marked ones; those are not eeproms.

Examples of 32Mbit SPI types:

Spoiler: 32Mbit SPI eeproms

 

Hellllllp. the exact same thing as the OP just happened to me. Series 7 fell off a desk and is now will not boot. The fixes here are out of my league. It also seems out of the 'geeksqaud' league. Are there any companies recommended I could send it to?

 

Was the computer turned on and running when it went into orbit? This would make it more vulnerable to hard drive damage.

Did the computer come with Windows 7 (ie UEFI disabled) or Windows 8 / 8.1 (ie UEFI enabled)? UEFI stores some key data on the hard drive so if that is damaged then the computer will be clueless how to boot.

Is there any sign of life (eg a light or two) when you try to turn the computer on?

Will it boot into the BIOS? If not, will it boot into the BIOS if you remove the hard drive?

John

 

-It was closed when it fell, probably on but asleep.

-it came with windows 8

-There is a sign of life. When you turn it on the opening samsung screen flashes and then it says 'All boot options are tried. Press <f4> key to recover with factory image using recovery or any other keys for next boot loop interation'. When i press f4 it flashes the Samsung screen and reloads the same prompt.

-I have not tried removing the hard drive (quite frankly I just want to send it it off somewhere for repair and not open it up myself).

 

I suspect that the hard drive is damaged. I would have hoped that the heads were parked while the computer was sleeping, but sleep is very unreliable.

It appears that the BIOS is loading OK but can't boot Windows on the hard drive and also, since the recovery image is on the hard drive, it can't access that either. You are obviously able to read the display so that is OK.

Did you make any back up recovery image (DVD / USB flash drive) or was anything provided with the computer? If you have, or can find something on the internet (look for Windows 8 legal downloads) then you will be able to check the computer's health and confirm the diagnosis. You may need to disable SecureBoot which will need to be done in the BIOS setup. Tapping F1, F2 or F12 (I can't remember which so tap all three in turn) a few times immediately after turning on the computer should get you there.

A competent local repair place should be able to confirm my diagnosis, replace the hard drive (they are standard components but get an SSD if you want to give the computer a new lease of life) and reinstall Windows. You may then need to use Samsung's SW Update program to obtain the software and drivers specific to your notebook. There's no need to go to a Samsung service agent.

John

 

Hi all!

I have the Samsung Series 7 NP700Z7C-S01UB and after a long time I decided to try and finally fix my access BIOS impedition problem once and for all.

I have a nvram corruption issue as I can not get into BIOS by any means. The good thing it's that the system boots and I can install windows with the DVD drive.

Now I have installed windows 8.1, under MBR, luckily now with Legacy enabled s it's my personal preference but i wouldn't have any problems into installing win 7 or 8 to fix this.

I've tried the roll back method without any luck and also the sflash64 /cvar /patch without any luck as well. I couldn't make the afuwinx64 command work either.


Which would be the proper method to clean the nvram and reinstall the BIOS without using an external eprom burner?

Thanks soo much for any input and help anybody can give me!

 

My only suggestion is the CMOS reset (disconnect mains power, disconnect battery and hold down power button for a minute). But I expect you have done that already.

John

 

Thanks for your feedback and yep I've already tried that of course...

Anyways I'm trying many methods at the moment and I'll post if I can finally find a solution (being the trash bin not one of them ).

 

I just stumbled onto this thread while looking for something else.

It explains how to do a full BIOS reset.

John

 

Thanks I'll check that out!

 

OK so I have a Samsung laptop (NP300E5C), I Switched OS Selection Mode to CMS and after reboot it shows me this massage " All boot options are tried ... etc " and I cant Access the BIOS with F2

here is what I can do:
1-Boot into Recovery With F4

2-Press F10 to access Boot Menu( After the first attempt at booting StrelecPE DVD, It Deleted "Boot from DVD" In the Boot Menu, but Laptop still boots itself from External Devices without force )

3- Boot From DVD without user input ( Laptop Reads the DVD and and boots from it )

Strange enough , I can boot into Windows 7 Via StrelecPE Selection Menu > Search & Start Windows 7/8
I've checked if there is any entries in MSCONFIG, there's none...

 

Hi hamode112, sorry it took so long to respond to this. I saw your other post here that you are able to boot Windows. That's great, and makes it much easier to fix the problem.

You still have NVRAM corruption, which is why you cannot get into BIOS with F2. And the solution is as posted in this thread, specifically the guide in post #7, except you don't have to bother with WinPE since you are able to boot Windows.

So basically, you need to:

1) Download a BIOS update file for your laptop, using isosunrise's guide in the roll-back thread. It doesn't matter which version of BIOS, as you don't have to flash it -- but the latest version is the easiest to find (using the link towards the end of that guide). Then extract the contents of it using the trick described in that post.

2) Among the extracted files from the BIOS updater should be the BIOS flashing utility, such as sflash64 or WinFlash. Run that from an Administrator command prompt with the /cvar /patch parameters. This should clear the NVRAM and allow you back into BIOS and fix any problems with selecting your boot source.

3) To flush out any remaining gremlins, reset BIOS settings to default: Shut down and boot into BIOS with F2. You may have to temporarily disable Windows Fast Startup to make sure it fully shuts down and gives you enough time to hit F2. Once in BIOS, reset its settings to default (F9). Then carefully check that settings are correct for your type of Windows installation:

AHCI=enabled/Auto (in almost all cases)
Fast Boot/Fast BIOS=disabled (can be re-enabled later to speed up boot)
SecureBoot=disabled (can be re-enabled later to improve security)
OS Mode Selection=UEFI OS (UEFI/GPT installations, usually Win8 and newer)
OS Mode Selection=CSM OS (legacy BIOS/MBR installations, usually Win7)

Once you've seen that everything works, you can re-enable Fast BIOS and SecureBoot.

If you are NOT already on the latest BIOS version, you can also simply update to the latest, which also will clear NVRAM in the process. But don't do it from Samsung/SW Update. Use the safer procedure described here.

Fingers crossed. Please update us on your results

 

Thank you, I will start the process now.,
My BIOS Version is P09RAQ , can I download another version which ends with 3 different letters?
or can I use the same BIOS Version I downloaded from Samsung BIOSUpdate.exe , the name is ITEM_20131112_21254_WIN_P09RAQ.exe

 

It's great that you already have a BIOS file, saves one more step. You still have to extract its contents by running it, but DON'T click OK, then copy the extracted files from a temp folder, then click CANCEL.

It is described in detail in @isosunrise's roll-back guide. Some people reported problems extracting recent BIOS updates, hopefully you won't have that problem.

And about the last three letters, that's the so-called Platform ID of your laptop. You can only use BIOS updates with that Platform ID. I just checked using the link at the end of isosunrise's guide, and P09RAQ is indeed the latest.

 

I Did exactly what you asked for , Copied the extracted folder from Temp folder, when I run SFlash64 it open a CMD window and then closes immediately , should I try SFlash32 or WinFlash?

 

You have to open an Administrator Command Prompt (from the Win-X menu), change to the folder with the extracted files (using the cd <path> command), then type Sflash64 /cvar /patch.

Edit: If you're not comfortable using command prompts, then maybe it's best to read up a little first to get familiar. You don't want to make any mistakes with this procedure...

 

/cvar /patch command successful , I will reboot now and see if I can access the BIOS Hopefully

 

cvar patch worked and now I can access the BIOS

And with that came a great cost . . . R.I.P Windows 7 , it lived a long 3 years life , it never disobeyed me and always finishing every task I throw at it ,

So anyway I ran the recovery and formatted the partition and installed the big mistake of all time -- Windows 8 ,

Thanks for the great help, I now have access to the BIOS all thanks to you

 

@hamode112: Thank you for the update. Glad to hear it worked and you now have control over your laptop again.

Of course nothing prevents you from installing Win7, but you should install it in CSM mode to avoid those pesky UEFI issues -- which means wiping your disk completely and losing Recovery.

I didn't like Win8.x at first, but with a 3rd party Start Menu and disabling all the Metro stuff, it's been working really well for me. Faster than Win7 too.

I am running Win8.1 with Classic Shell on both my laptops. I recently installed Win10 on test partitions in order to Activate my Win10 license before the 2016/7/29 deadline, but then switched back to Win8.1 -- mostly because I don't have time to play with Win10 and get it up and running the way I want.

 

its not just any Windows 8 , its Samsung's version of Windows 8 filled with loads of apps slowing down the laptop, can I still install Win7 using WinNTSetup in UEFI and CSM OS ( I Don't want to be near this CSM OS anymore )

 

I understand about your bloated Win8. You can de-bloat it (un-installing the bloat) or perform a clean install of Win 8.1 if you want.

But CSM OS is the safer choice. It is the classic Legacy BIOS mode, with UEFI completely disabled.

The only reason you had problems after changing to CSM OS is because your Windows installation and the way your disk is partitioned is for UEFI. You cannot just switch between UEFI and CSM, that is (unfortunately) how it was designed. If you change, you have to wipe the disk and start over.

The NVRAM corruption your experienced (and which prevented you from getting into BIOS) was almost certainly caused by installing Win7 in UEFI mode. We don't recommend that on Samsung laptops, and particularly not on this generation (Win8 delivered ones) who are known to have poor UEFI implementations.

 

Prior to NVRAM Corruption, Windows 7 was dual-booted with Windows 10 in "UEFI and CSM OS" ( one selection ) , after /cvar /patch it will not work as expected?

if not then i will stick with Win8, it was bricked for over 2 months, i don't want to brick it again.

 

You can install any Windows version you like, including dual booting. That's not the issue here.

The issue is that on early Win8 models, Samsung's UEFI implementation is prone to bricking: Whenever an OS is installed or updated in UEFI mode, it will write to NVRAM (to store boot information) and sometimes that goes wrong and corrupts the NVRAM. Often users don't notice it till long after it happened, when they cannot get into BIOS.

It is a particular risk with older OSs from the the early days of UEFI (like older Linux versions or Win7) which is why we recommend you switch to CSM mode before installing those. That will, however, require re-partitioning the disk (and thus wiping it). UEFI mode requires the disk to be GPT style, whereas CSM mode (good old BIOS mode) requires it to be MBR style.

Personally I would completely avoid UEFI mode on these models, even if installing Win8.x or Win10. I just don't want to risk bricking an otherwise nice laptop.

 

OK then, i'll stick with Win8

 

I would advise that you update to Win8.1, since otherwise you won't receive Windows updates.

Even that comes with a risk while you are in UEFI mode, but since you just cleared NVRAM, there is no accumulated corruption or overflow there.

Again, Win8.1 has worked well for me when using Classic Shell and disabling the Metro stuff.

 

Im currently in UEFI and CSM Mode.

 

Windows 7 dual-booted successfully with Windows 8 under UEFI and CSM OS, Both OSes are booting up

 

Just know that UEFI and CSM OS mode will not protect you from UEFI induced NVRAM corruption. It's still UEFI mode, just allowing boot from external boot sources that are non-UEFI compatible.

So your new Win7 is an UEFI installation, and the path to NVRAM corruption is still open.

That said, I'm not trying preach doom here. After all, most people DON'T experience corruption, and even fewer ever notice if they do. I just prefer eliminating as many risks as possible. If you knew how many people have come here with bricking problems... don't get me started

Well done getting it all working!

 

I'm fully aware of NVRAM Corruption and I'm ready for it, as long as i don't touch the BIOS, NVRAM should not reach the light.

There is no going back now, if i change OS Selection to CSM OS now NVRAM will get corrupted again,

Thanks for the help, i really appreciate it

Edit: It's also worth to note that prior to the corruption Win7 and Win10 were both working fine till i changed to CSM OS , So technecally if OS Selection is set to UEFI and CSM OS it should not brick the laptop.

Edit2: I did not use any external device to install Win7, I installed it directly from Windows 8 via WinNTSetup,